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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/ipad-roundup-heres-the-stuff-that-may-interest-you/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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With the iPad set to launch April 3, we know a lot of you out there are wondering what types of games and apps there are to look forward to. Well, we reprogrammed the Joystiq bots to scour the iTunes App store for information on updates and new games, culling the data for you all. There's plenty to look forward to, so don't waste time reading this -- head past the break for the goods!

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10-ton-games-inc2k-gamesactivisionamazon-hidden-expeditionangry-birdsangry-birds-hdapple-ipadasphaltasphalt-5azkend-hdbig-fish-gamesbreak-hdcall-of-dutycall-of-duty-world-at-warcall-of-duty-world-at-war-zombiescastlecraftcharadiumchillingoCivilizationcivilization-revolutioncogscogs-hdCommand-and-Conquercommand-and-conquer-red-alertdoonsdoons-hddungeon-hunterdungeon-hunter-hdeaElectronic-Artsfieldrunnersfiremintfiremint-incflick-bowlingflick-fishingflight-controlflight-control-hdfreeversefroggerfrogger-padgameloftgeometry-warsgluglyder-2imahjongimahjong-hdipadipad-launcjirbokonamilaminar-researcglets-golfmarvelmarvel-comicsmarvel-comics-appmetal-gear-solidmetal-gear-solid-touchminigoreminigore-hdmirrors-edgemodern-combatmodern-combat-sandstormnamconba-hotshotneed-for-speedneed-for-speed-shiftnflnfl-2010nfl-2010-hdngmoconovapac-manpaper-footballpaper-football-hdplants-vs-zombiesplants-vs-zombies-hdpopcappopcap-gamesreal-racingreal-racing-hdreal-soccerreal-soccer-2010-hdsam-and-maxscrabblesecret-exit-ltdsegasneeziessneezies-hdsnowboardingsnowboarding-hdsparkle-hdsubatomicsubatomic-studiossuper-monkey-ballsuper-monkey-ball-2super-monkey-ball-2-sakura-editionteam-17telltale-gamestetristhe-penal-zoneunouno-hdwarpgatewe-rulex-planezen-boundzen-bound-2Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:00:00 -040011|19424362http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/08/zen-bound-2-for-ipad-out-by-april-3rd-looks-great/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/08/zen-bound-2-for-ipad-out-by-april-3rd-looks-great/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/08/zen-bound-2-for-ipad-out-by-april-3rd-looks-great/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#comments
We've heard from Secret Exit (creators of Zen Bound) a few times about the new version of their game coming soon, but Touch Arcade has some brand new pics and insight about the game itself. Kotaku also has a few preview pics, and the game looks terrific -- not only is it due out in the App Store soon, but we know for sure that it'll be before April 3rd, because they're aiming to have a day one iPad version ready to go as well. As you can tell from the pics, it's going to be just gorgeous -- high resolution, a crisp UI with lots of room to breathe, and the same physics-based rope-twisting gameplay as the first game.

Of course, there will probably be at least a few kinks -- unless Secret Exit is super lucky, they probably haven't run the code on an actual iPad just yet, so even if the app is in the store on day one, it might still need a few adjustments once they actually get a production device to run everything on. But these pics only make us even more excited at the possibility for gaming on the iPad -- just like we'd never had a mass-market touchscreen device before the iPhone came along, we've never had a widespread touchscreen device of this size before, and the bigger screen is going to make a big difference in games like this one for sure.

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appapp-storegameplaygamingipadiphonekotakuphysicsproductionsecret-exittouch-arcadezen-boundzen-bound-2Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -050016|19386953http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/04/interview-with-zen-bound-creators-on-ipad-and-iphone-games/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/04/interview-with-zen-bound-creators-on-ipad-and-iphone-games/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/04/interview-with-zen-bound-creators-on-ipad-and-iphone-games/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#commentsAppAdvice has an interview up with Secret Exit, the folks who made one of the best iPhone games of last year, Zen Bound. They spoke not only about that game and how the iPhone turned out to be the perfect platform for them to start out on, but also about the iPad and what they're planning to do with it in the future.

Secret Exit echoes a lot of other developers in saying that it plans to make completely different apps for the iPad, not just upscaled or updated versions of iPhone apps. The hardware and the market, says Secret Exit, both call for completely separate releases.

They also say, however, that they're worried about iPad pricing. A bigger screen and more complicated layouts mean that the investment for apps will be bigger, and if only the most recognized brands can hold down a $9.99 price point, Secret Exit says that they may not be able to build out their games to the point that they'd like.

Interesting points all. Of course, much of the iPad thinking so far is speculation -- it's certainly possible that the $9.99 price point could become the default for new iPad apps, which would give developers a little more money to play with. But as with everything else iPad, we'll have to see. At least the wait's not that long.

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developerdevsgamesgaminginterviewipadiphonepricingsecret exitSecretExitstair-dismountzen-boundThu, 04 Mar 2010 07:00:00 -050016|19381578http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/31/our-favorite-iphone-games-of-2009/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/31/our-favorite-iphone-games-of-2009/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/31/our-favorite-iphone-games-of-2009/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#comments
The first full year of the App Store is coming to a close, and so let's take a look back at our favorite games of 2009. Note that these aren't best-selling, most important, or even the best games of the year -- we'll leave those lists to other sites. But these are our favorite games -- the games we played this year that we feel stand out as our favorite experiences on the App Store.

The list begins after the read more link below, and be sure to agree, disagree, or share your own favorite games as usual in the comments.

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app-storebest-of-2009canabaltdoodle-jumpdownloadsend-of-yeargamesgamingiphonelistramp-champswaywords-with-friendszen-boundThu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 -050016|19298432http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/30/updating-doesnt-help-your-iphone-app-but-price-drops-do/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/30/updating-doesnt-help-your-iphone-app-but-price-drops-do/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/30/updating-doesnt-help-your-iphone-app-but-price-drops-do/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#comments
Here are two different insights from Pocket Gamer about how developers can grow the profile of their iPhone apps. The first comes to us from the wisdom of Peggle, that game that I just can't stop playing. Apparently, they've coined the term "Peggling," which means lowering the price of your app, and seeing a huge benefit from it. Whenever a game drops its price down to 99 cents, much as Peggle did soon after release, it sees a significant bump in the charts. I'm sure there are many other factors at play here -- Peggle was a great game, so you can't sell more of a crappy game just by selling it for cheaper, and I saw a lot of Twitter and blog attention when the price dropped, so it pays to have people watching the price in the first place. But under the right circumstances, dropping the price can do a lot for a game that's already selling pretty well.

But an update, apparently, won't. That's what the makers of Zen Bound told Pocket Gamer -- they say that when they released an update with new levels and new features, it didn't make a difference in their sale numbers at all. Games like Pocket Godhave made a reputation for themselves by providing regular and solid updates, and certainly it seems like those updates have at least spurred sales, if not made them blow up, but the Zen Bound guys say that singular updates on major products probably won't kick sales into gear.

Interesting. We're at least a few generations into App Store sales at this point, and we're started to see trends and consumer behavior in better relief; developers are getting better and better ideas every day about how to price and service their apps and customers.

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app-storeapp-store-pricingattentioniphonelessonsmaking-moneymoneypegglepricingreleasetwitterupdatezen-boundThu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:00 -040016|19113908http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/18/diorama-will-tilt-your-mind/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/18/diorama-will-tilt-your-mind/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/18/diorama-will-tilt-your-mind/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#commentsSee, now this is the kind of game I want from my iPhone -- the accelerometer isn't just a gimmick thrown in with the gameplay, it's the actual premise of the game. Diorama is a weird little Marble Madness-style maze game, but the catch here is that instead of just tilting the accelerometer to move the ball (which you do), the level of the game actually moves with you, so that you get a stereoscopic kind of effect, as if the stage is real inside your iPhone's screen. Tough to explain, but as soon as you see it above, you'll know what it's like. We've seen this kind of effect before in apps like MotionX's Dice roller, but in this case, it's actually part of the game -- you can only find the paths to take around the stages by actually tilting the device. And for extra 3D viewing, there's an actual 3D mode, so if you happen to have red and cyan glasses around, you can switch on the mode for anaglyphic 3D.

The app is the first iPhone release from a company called Drömsynt, and though the initial reports on iTunes say the game is pretty tough (it is a pain navigating the quickly-moving ball around those pathways), for just 99 cents, it's definitely worth downloading, if only to see how it works. So many apps just throw in a few iPhone-specific features as afterthoughts, but it's refreshing to see a game like this (or like Zen Bound, which really depends on the multitouch screen) rely on the originality of the hardware itself.

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3daccelerometeranaglyphanaglyphicapp-storedioramadownloaddromsyntgamehardwaremotionx-dicereleasescreenstereoscopiczen-boundThu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -040016|19070800http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/29/award-winning-board-game-zooloretto-in-the-app-store-now/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/29/award-winning-board-game-zooloretto-in-the-app-store-now/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/29/award-winning-board-game-zooloretto-in-the-app-store-now/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#commentsChillingo is not kidding about iPhone releases lately -- it seems like every other day they're premiering a new download in the App Store, for better or worse. Their website calls them "The Leading Publisher of iPhone Games," and it seems like they're definitely pushing for quantity. But there are some good gems in the mix (have you tried Zen Bound yet?), and Zooloretto looks like it might be another. The $4.99US game is based on an award-winning board game in which you have to balance zoo animals of varying sizes with pen space, all while bringing in as many visitors as possible. Like all great board games, it looks pretty simple to start out, but more and more complicated as you go along. And the fact that it's turn-based makes it perfect for the iPhone, when you can play in small spurts and keep a strategy rolling over time.

If there's a drawback, it's that the game might be too simple -- it's meant as a family game, so really hardcore strategy geeks might not find enough here to dig into (it's too bad we haven't seen a quality Settlers port, or maybe even a version of Puerto Rico). And it's too bad there's no lite version to try before you buy. But if you're looking for a nice little strategy game to play around with occasionally, and enjoy a well-designed board game, Zooloretto is worth a look.

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app-storeaward-winningboard-gamechillingoiphonepuerto-ricosettlers-of-catanzen-boundzoozoo-animalszoolorettoFri, 29 May 2009 12:00:00 -040016|19051061http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/04/zen-bound-adding-new-tree-in-free-update/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
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Touch Arcade has a slew of new screenshots from an upcoming free update for a game I've been coming back to more and more lately on my iPhone:Zen Bound. When I first installed it, I thought of it as more of a tech demo than a game, but as you load it up more and more, you really do start uncovering layers of competition -- "if only I twisted the statue that way I could cover more ground, or maybe if I started from that leg I could wrap around closer on that side." It's pretty addictive, and it's one of those games that starts tugging at your mind even when you're not playing it.

The update probably won't help free my mind -- not only will it have a whole set of new objects to wrap up (featuring some fun retro-gaming themed pieces), but it's getting some bugfixes and some performance tweaks as well. The paint spread by the rope will be smoother, and the problem of the rope crossing through objects should be better (while that happened from time to time, it wasn't a huge complaint).

Still, especially for free, it sounds like the update will only make a great game better. Zen Bound is available right now in the App Store for $4.99 (with the free update available "soon"), and there's a lite version to try out as well.

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addictiveapp-storefree-updategamesiphoneipodobjectspaintropescorescreenshotsupdatezen boundzen-boundZenBoundMon, 04 May 2009 09:00:00 -040016|1534748http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-iphone-gaming-roundup/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-iphone-gaming-roundup/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/03/25/gdc09-iphone-gaming-roundup/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#comments
The Game Developers Conference is on in San Francisco, and game companies are starting to pull out the major announcements on what's coming to the iPhone in the next year. Here's a roundup of all the titles we've heard mentioned already.

EA announced a huge lineup of ports from their already popular games: everything from Command and Conquer: Red Alert to SSX to FIFA, Madden, and NBA are all coming in some form to the iPhone. They're also working on bringing over the Wolfenstein RPG and Spore Creatures (which was the DS port of Spore), as well as a big list of casual board games (Scrabble is only the beginning), and versions of Need for Speed: Undercover, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour. And most amazing? All of these are due out before the end of the year. Someone's lighting a fire under iPhone developers at EA.

id software announced that they're bringing Wolfenstein 3D Classic to the iPhone in an official form -- that one's already been submitted to the store and should be out soon.

Several games took home honors at this morning's Independent Games Festival's Mobile awards ceremony, but the event's true winner was apparent: the iPhone. While the awards were geared towards -- and open to -- titles for all wireless / mobile devices, every game that won is available exclusively on Apple's telephonic wunderkind (and, of course, the iPod touch).

Subatomic Studios' tower defense favorite, Fieldrunners, won for Best Art and Best Mobile Game (overall). Sergei Gourski and Jamie Gotch (above), the two developers responsible for the game, have been viewed as rising stars in the indie mobile gaming scene since Fieldrunners' release; today's wins cemented their star status. We spoke with the duo about their award-winning creation -- look for the full interview soon on the 'Stiq.

Two awards also went to Secret Exit for its sublime Zen Bound. The part game, part relaxation exercise was named Best iPhone Game and earned a Mobile Audio Achievement award. The Best Innovation award went to the simplistic, yet infinitely replayable 4x4 space strategy title, Galcon. The only unreleased game to win was Firemint's Real Racing, which earned Best Technical honors. We'll have a hands-on with the impressive looking (hey, it won the tech award for a reason) racer soon.

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fieldrunnersgdc-2009igfigf-2009mobilesecret-exitsubatomic-studioszen-boundTue, 24 Mar 2009 17:22:00 -040011|1497050http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/iphone-it-in-zen-bound/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Within moments of starting Zen Bound, I was completely embarrassed we hadn't yet featured it on "iPhone It In." No discussion of the iPhone as a platform that omits this soothing, beautiful puzzle game can really call itself complete. Hell, in terms of making use of the iPhone's specific strengths, Zen Bound is the discussion.

It is, as developer Secret Exit says simply in its iTunes Store description, a game about wrapping wooden sculptures with rope.

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chillingoiphoneiphone-it-insecret-exitzen-boundMon, 02 Mar 2009 16:16:00 -050011|1476068http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/27/zen-bound-arrives-on-the-iphone/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=TUAW.com&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/27/zen-bound-arrives-on-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/27/zen-bound-arrives-on-the-iphone/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=TUAW.com#comments
This one's impressive -- Zen Bound originally started out as Zen Bondage, a physics game/sandbox where the goal was to wrap a rope around a 3D shape or object. The game has just recently been ported to the iPhone, and in the process has actually been improved -- the graphics look sharper and the iPhone's multitouch controls really add to the tactile experience.

As a "game," it might be questionable -- it looks like there's a lot of fudging in terms of whether or not the rope has "covered" the object, and the scoring system itself is more or less tossed in as just a reason to get you to interact with the objects. But as an app, and a demonstration of the kinds of interactivity that can be exclusive to a device like the iPhone, it comes highly recommended.